William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

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William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet According to the dictionary, fate is the “inevitable destiny or necessity destined term of life; doom.” This means that fate can be described as a pre-planned sequence of events influencing ones life. Romeo and Juliet would have been performed to an Elizabethan audience who believed very strongly in “fate” and “fortune”. Fate was destined to happen and no one could alter it. Throughout the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare constantly utilises the motif of stars to convey and develop the prominent theme of fate. Even and early as the prologue, the words “A pair of star-cross’d lovers…” reveal Shakespeare’s intent in conveying the association of fate with this motif. Like stars, fate exists in the heavens. It is Romeo and Juliet’s misfortune that leads to the sorrowful and tragic ending of the play. Romeo and Juliet is a play plagued with timing and fate. Some actions are believed to happen by chance or destiny. The timing of each action influences the outcome of the play. While some events are of less significance, some are crucial to the development of the story. The substantial events that inspire the conclusion of Romeo and Juliet are the Capulet ball, the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio, and Friar John’s plague. A servant to Capulet, who is incapable of reading the list of guests for a planned party, asks for Romeo’s assistance. Romeo notices that Rosaline, his lover, is among these names. Benvolio challenges Romeo to compare her with other “beauties.” He says, “Compare her face with some that I shall show, and I will make thee think thy swan a crow.” To show his apprecia... ... middle of paper ... ...there on time. In conclusion, I would say that the description of Romeo and Juliet as “A pair of star-cross’d lovers…” is extremely fitting as the entire play is based on fate. The concept of fate functions as a central theme in Romeo and Juliet. The Prologue states that the young lovers are governed by fate, a force often linked to the movements of the stars. Fate manifests itself in all the events surrounding Romeo and Juliet: the ancient and inexplicable feud between their families, the catastrophic series of mishaps which ruin Friar Lawrence’s plans, and the tragic timing of Romeo’s suicide and Juliet’s awakening. The structure of the play itself rests upon the fate from which the two lovers cannot escape. Fate, from the beginning, had resolved that the story of Romeo and Juliet would culminate in heartbreak.

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